


Journeys

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: AU, Alternate Universes, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 00:00:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/791685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What do you do when the life you knew is gone?  How do you find the strength to build a new one?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Journeys

**Author's Note:**

> A version of this story originally appeared in a zine. Being the eternal editor, I've found several glitches that made it into print(damn, I didn't know Blair had three hands) and fixed them. I'd like to thank Virg for her original massacre of this story. Without her it would be an even bigger mess than it is. I wrote this story for a friend in under a week. There are a few holes in the story and also places were things could be clearer. I   
>  left the vague things vague on purpose, so that I could, as a later date, go back and add to this universe. I have no knowledge what so ever about space "stuff" so please, try to overlook it.

## Journeys

by EagleEye

Author's disclaimer: Hmmm, I have a craving for a Blair and Jim oreo, with me as the filling, but since I don't own them, I seriously doubt that's gonna happen.

* * *

Journeys 

Blair stood and stared out the window in wonder as the first rays of dawn began to clear the horizon. He sighed at a sight he had never dreamed he'd live to see. So caught up in his reverie, the strong arms wrapping around his middle and the accompanying nibble on his ear started him from his thoughts, and he jumped. The young man laughed, then relaxed into the arms and leaned back against the solid wall of his lover's chest. He dragged his eyes away from the symphony of color unfolding in front of him and looked up into the smiling eyes of his sentinel. 

"Sorry, Chief, I didn't mean to startle you," the big man said with a not so apologetic grin and a final nibble. He turned to look out the window and whistled. "Whoa, that's..." 

Blair chuckled at his partner's loss of words. 

"Yeah, Big Guy, I've come up with probably a dozen words... gorgeous, majestic, incredible... But none seem to fit as well as the silence, you know?" Blair laid his head back, resting it upon Jim's shoulder. "So, how are the others?" he asked. 

"As well as can be expected I guess. This actually came off easier than I'd figured it would. The last couple of days have been crazy, but everyone is finally settling in. Rafe, Brown, and Joel have been sharing sleep space. As have Megan and Serena. You and I may even get used to bunking with Simon and Daryl before-" 

"How is he, by the way?" the younger man interrupted. "How is Daryl taking things? I heard him tossing and turning for most of the night last night. He couldn't have gotten much sleep." Blair sighed and wiggled a bit in the big man's embrace. "It's not easy to lose your mother and get uprooted from everything you've ever known all in the span of a couple of days." He shrugged. "I'm feeling a bit... overwhelmed myself." 

Jim nodded and gave his lover a squeeze. "Yeah, he's shell shocked. Simon is doing what he can, and staying close for when it all hits the fan. He's a good kid, strong like his dad, and he has all of us. I think he'll be okay. We'll make sure he's okay." 

Blair grinned. 

"Ever the Sentinel of the Great City, huh?" 

"Somehow, Chief, I don't think this is what Incacha meant when he said that."   
"You never know." The Guide turned to his Sentinel, momentarily stepping out of the shelter of his arms. "You protect your tribe. These people are your tribe, old and new alike, regardless of where they reside. Where the tribe is, you are." Blair placed a hand on Jim's chest. "That isn't gonna change, man. We may not be in Cascade anymore, but wherever we end up, you will still have a tribe to protect. Maybe now more than ever." 

Jim shrugged and wrapped his arms around Blair again. He placed a kiss upon his lover's nose. 

"And what about you, oh Shaman of The Great City? How are you faring?" he asked, concern showing in his eyes and evident in his voice. "You've lost _your_ mother and everything you've ever known in the span of a couple days."   
A brief sadness passed over Blair's face, then was gone. 

"Whither thou goest, I will go, man. I'm processing." He smiled slightly and, being sure to keep Jim's arms around him, turned back to the window. The rays of the new morning reflected in his eyes. "It will be easier for me. I'm accustomed to picking up and leaving everything, I've done it before."   
Jim looked down at the younger man, a frown marring the look of love he aimed at his companion. 

"Maybe so, Chief, but not on this scale. Everything we'd planned for, all the plotting we did, we NEVER figured this into the mix. We had contingency plans for governments and Lee Bracketts and even a serial killer or evil dictator or two ... but not this." Jim sighed and turned back to the window, sadness overshadowing the blue of his eyes, changing the timbre of his voice. "We never planned for this. I never imagined this," he finished in a whisper.   
The younger man looked up at his friend. "And what about you? huh?" he asked, poking Jim with an elbow. "You've been running around looking after everyone else, how are YOU doing?" 

A mask settled over the sentinel's face and all traces of emotion vanished. "Don't even give me the 'I'm fine, Chief' speech," Blair interrupted before Jim could open his mouth. "You left family behind too, and you zoned the other day. Do you know how long it's been since that happened? I realize these are extenuating circumstances, but I soo don't want a repeat of THAT tomorrow. You scared the hell out of me." Jim sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "I really don't know what happened, Chief. One minute I was there... and then I wasn't." "Okay, Jim, we can figure this out, man." The Guide turned and took his sentinel's shoulders in his hands, rubbing in soothing circles. "Start at the beginning. Take a deep breath and go back. We strapped in, then you checked the others out with your senses... and then..." 

Jim allowed his arms to fall to his sides and did as his Guide instructed. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, turning to lean his back against the window. "Everyone was fine. Their heartbeats were a little fast, but considering the circumstances I would have been surprised if they weren't." His brow furrowed as he tried to grasp the elusive sensual memories. "I dialed up a bit, Joel was whispering something... a prayer. I was listening to the words and then..." The detective broke off and grabbed his head. He wrapped both hands protectively over his ears and his face twisted with a grimace of pain. "Whoa, Jim, it's okay, man." Blair put his hands over Jim's. "It's okay, buddy, you're here with me," he whispered as he gently eased one hand away. "Come on, focus on me now, Jim. You're here, it's okay." The younger man continued to quietly croon, trying to guide his partner out of the memory and into the here and now.   
Jim slowly lowered his hands and opened his clenched eyes. He looked at his partner, a sheepish expression on his face. "Um, that's when the boosters fired. I had my hearing dialed up trying to listen to Joel and my ears got blasted."  
"Jim..."  
He held up a hand, "I know, Sandburg, it was stupid." "Yeah it was, but go on," Blair prodded. "Your ears got blasted, then what happened?" Blair let go of the hand he still held and rested his back against the observation window, being sure to keep one shoulder in contact with his lover's body.   
Jim turned inward again. "I quickly dialed my hearing down to almost zero, but then I smelled the fuel. It was so strong I could taste it. So I tried to turn the smell dial too... " He paused and looked to Blair. "That's really all I can remember. I tried to dial down smell and lost the dials on everything. I couldn't breathe, it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. And my skin was on fire, you know... like when all the hair on your arms stands up. I remember thinking that I was going to throw up, and knew that wasn't a good idea. Then nothing... until you." Jim shook his head, then looked at Blair. "The next thing I remember is you standing over me after we'd docked." His partner nodded, "Yeah, I hadn't even realized you'd zoned until I looked over and saw the vacant look on your face." Blair sighed and began to pace, his arms moving in time as he talked. "I was talking to Daryl, he was a little freaked about everything. I was trying to talk him down a bit so he didn't hyperventilate before we'd even lifted off. He asked me a question about the ship. I turned to ask you..." Blair shook his head and shuddered. "You were so gone, man. Your face was totally blank. I tried talking to you but you weren't responding. I guess Simon realized what had happened because I heard him start talking to Daryl, grabbing his attention so I could concentrate mine on you." The young man stopped, looked at Jim and then resumed his frenetic pacing. 

Jim watched for a minute as his partner strode about the room muttering quietly to himself. Jim frowned as he dialed up his hearing and caught the words the younger man was mumbling. "Stupid, Sandburg, argh, how could you be so stupid. Of course he's going to zone. All the extensive outer stimuli. All the sounds and smells he's never been exposed to. How could you be so stupid... letting him zone. Some Guide you are, letting... ooof" Blair's words were cut off as he ran into the chest that suddenly appeared in his path. Two strong hands wrapped around his arms and steadied him when he would have fallen. He grabbed onto the arms attached and looked up into the face of his Sentinel. His lover's clenched jaw told him that his partner was ticked off.  
"I think that's enough, Chief," he said, exasperated. "All of this is new to the both of us, you couldn't have known what my reaction to take-off would be." "That's just it, Jim. I'm your Guide. I should have. Your zone took me completely by surprise. That can't happen. It's _my_ job to watch for stuff like that. " Blair exhaled sharply and ran both hands through his hair. "There are just too many unknowns. We're going to be facing too many new things every day for me to be caught unaware so easily. I need to be thinking about your reactions. I need to _know_ what your reactions are going to be." Jim lay both hands on the younger man's shoulders and responded to the uncertainty in his Guide's voice. "Chief,... Blair," he said softly and waited for his partner to meet his eyes. "You've never let me down. I trust you with my life. If... when we run into problems I know we'll find the answers. Trust yourself; I do."  
Blair sighed and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, then let it out and met his partner's eyes, seeing and accepting the trust there. Awed, as usual, at the love thrown in for good measure. "Okay, we can't let you zone on lift-off tomorrow. We're going to have to..." Blair stopped as the intercom buzzed overhead. "James Ellison, please report to Habitat Bay Three. James Ellison, please report to Habitat Bay Three."  
Blair groaned and beat his head against his lover's chest. "Jim, why is it that whenever I'm about to mention the word test, we get interrupted?" Jim smirked. "Someone up there likes me?" Blair looked up into the older man's face and frowned at the smirk. "Don't think this is over, Big Guy. We'll talk about this when you're done." "I'm sure we will, Chief." Jim chuckled and placed a kiss on his partner's lips. "But right now I've got somewhere I need to be," Jim called over his shoulder as he turned to go. "Jim," Blair started. Jim stopped and turned back toward his lover. Not one to let him get away that easily, Blair put his hands on both sides of Jim's face and pulled his head down and into a breath stealing kiss. "We WILL continue this conversation later." He promised once again, before letting his lover go.  
As Jim left the room, Daryl entered and they waved a hello to one another as they passed. The young man shuffled his way over to Blair, who greeted him with a smile.  
"Hey, Daryl, what's up?" Blair asked. Daryl had been too quiet and that was starting to worry everyone. The observer was glad to have some time alone with him. Hopefully a little private conversation could to get the teen to open up a bit. 

"Not much, man. I was getting a little stir crazy, so I thought I'd take a walk... look around a little." Daryl turned toward the window and looked out at the rays of the sun bathing the earth with light. He sighed and rested his head against the window. 

Sensing his need for quiet, Blair turned and resumed his watch. He tiredly leaned his head against the glass, matching the teen's stance, and let his mind wander. He'd been too busy, too caught up in the act of survival to really dwell on the events of the last few days. The peace of the observation room was such a stark contrast to the fast paced fury he'd been living in and it afforded his mind the time to regroup and 'think' about all that had happened. The worry for his sentinel lover, for his friends... the momentary lull gave his thoughts time to ambush him. He was torn; part of him sad for those left behind while the rest was immensely curious as to what the future would bring. "I guess we owe our lives to Mr. Ellison, huh?" Daryl asked and his words, barely above a whisper, brought Blair out of his reflective state. 

Blair turned from the window and nodded. 

"Yes, to him and Jack Kelso." The confused look on the younger man's face urged Blair to continue. 

"Jack Kelso is, by nature, a very paranoid person. He spends what free time he has conducting what he considers "watchdog" activities." Blair grinned, "He hacks into everything and anything. No database is safe. The FBI, CIA, MI6 the Pentagon... you name it, he's hacked into it or regularly talks to someone who does." 

Blair paused and took a breath. "About four months ago he was surfing around the net when he discovered some drawings. He didn't understand what they were, so he sent them to a few of his 'contacts'. They were the blueprints for the stations and Hope's Haven. Never one to let a mystery sit idle, Jack continued digging until he uncovered the information about the storm and the effects it would have on the Earth. A little more searching uncovered the plans for the evacuation of the Earth, and the shuttles that would be used to do it. Information in hand, he went to the one person he knew had both the power, the money, and the motivation to get all of us on those shuttles... William Ellison. Blair shifted and continued. "William Ellison pulled every string he had and used most of his considerable fortune, and got us all a place on the shuttle, and a place at the Haven. They were sworn to secrecy, until five days ago when they came to me, and we went to your dad and Jim." 

The teenager's face was the picture of astonishment. 

"It's a lot to process, Daryl, isn't it?" 

The younger man nodded. 

"But why?" 

"He wanted his son on that shuttle, moved heaven and earth and waded through a lot of political bullshit to do it. He also knew that he didn't have a prayer of getting Jim to go for it unless we were all included in the deal. He...."   
"No," he interrupted, "I mean why did Mr. Kelso go to Mr. Ellison? Why didn't he come to you or Jim? Wouldn't that have been faster?" 

Blair looked at Daryl, then turned back to the window. He gazed out at the Earth, trying to gather his thoughts and present them in a way the confused young man would understand. 

"Daryl," he started and turned to look at the youth. "What would your dad do if the two of you were in a building with a lot of other people and he found out it was on fire?" 

The younger Banks paused a moment before answering. 

"He'd make sure I was safe, then get everyone else out of the building," the teen answered with all the assuredness and pride a young man has for his father.   
Blair nodded, a small smile on his face. 

"That's because your dad is a 'protector', as is Jim. But you've seen what happens sometimes when a person hears the word fire. Mass panic and confusion can result and a lot of people would get hurt or killed. Jack Kelso is a very smart man, and he knows people. He also knows Jim Ellison and the type of man he is. Jack knew that if he went directly to Jim with this, his first reaction would be to refuse. His second would be to get the word out and tell as many people as he could about the coming disaster. Jim, like your dad, would try and save as many people as he possibly could." 

Blair sighed and wrapped an arm around Daryl's shoulders. 

"Unfortunately, in this case, that would have been a bad move. One of the key things needed for the plan to work was secrecy. If word had gotten out, panic and chaos would have resulted. People would've died or killed to get a place on one of the shuttles. It's tragic and it's sad, but there is no way to fit nine billion people on these stations or the moon. Hope's Haven can only support five and a half million people. That means the rest would have to stay. Do you think your dad could condemn several billion innocent people to death?" Daryl shook his head. He knew his dad couldn't stand the loss of a single innocent life, much less several billion. 

"And neither could Jim. Jack knew that the only way for this to work was to go to an interested third party... William Ellison. While Jack had the information, William had the strings to pull and the markers to call in. When those failed, he had the money to back it up. Where Jim and your dad would have been worried about saving the lives of millions of people, William Ellison was concerned with saving the life of only one person. That single minded determination was what Jack needed to make it happen. THAT is why we're here today." 

"But..." The teenager took a breath and Blair knew they were getting to the heart of the matter. "...what about my mom? Why couldn't they save her?"   
"We tried, Daryl. Your dad left messages all over for her. With her secretary, her answering service, even with your grandparents, she never returned any of them. My mom was on one of her retreats somewhere, and Brown's wife was off with her sister. We just couldn't find them. We tried everything we could. In the end it was just bad luck... a cruel twist of fate. We had two days to gather everything we'd need and get to the launch site. Forty-eight hours in which to gather a lifetime of memories and possessions and anything we thought would help us to survive the next decade." Blair sighed. "It was a question of time, man. We didn't have any."  
"But I didn't even get to say goodbye to anyone." "There just wasn't time, Daryl. Had there been the time, how would you have done it? How do you turn to the guy you're playing a little one on one with and tell him he's going to die in a couple of days?" Blair asked quietly. He turned and took Daryl's face in his hands. "How do you tell the woman who babysat you when you were four, and who now has kids of her own, that in forty- eight hours a 'space storm' is going to rip across the earth and obliterate her, her family and every trace of the human race from face of the planet? How do you explain why you get to go and they have to stay? What words do you use to tell them about the resulting dust cloud that will remain in the Earth's atmosphere, blocking out all sunlight for years and make their planet unlivable for at least a decade? How do you convey all of that with words, Daryl?" Daryl pulled his face from Blair's grip and stalked across the room. "I don't know. I don't know, Blair, but... I wanted to try, DAMNIT! I wanted to try." The last word ended on a sob and Blair moved across the room and took the broken hearted young man into his arms. They slid down the wall and landed on the floor with a thump. Daryl turned into the embrace and wrapped both arms around Blair as he cried out his release. Wetness gathered in Blair's eyes and began to run down his face. Both young men sat there and several days of uncertainty, anger and fear was let go in the form of tears. It wasn't much, but the release made their load lighter. They hugged each other for several long minutes as the tears flowed, then remained close once they'd cried themselves out. Side by side with their shoulders touching, the young men sat in silence and stared out the observation lounge's large window. Each lost in a sea of thought, they welcomed the silence. "So, why didn't Mr. Ellison and Jim's brother come with us?" Daryl asked quietly, breaking the silence. Blair sighed, "Well, Mr. Ellison isn't a young man. He isn't old, but he's not our age either. He's built his life and made his fortune already. He's been married and divorced, raised two children..." Blair turned to look at his friend. "I asked him the same thing. He told me that he's too tired to start again from the bottom, that he'd leave the rebuilding of our world to us." Blair shrugged, "I think a part of it is that he didn't want to leave Sally, either."  
"Sally?"  
"Yeah, Sally is Mr. Ellison's housekeeper. They've been together for a long time. She practically raised Jim and Steven after their mother left. But, she isn't a healthy woman. No amount of money would've gotten her on board one of these shuttles, and I don't think he could've left her."  
Daryl took and moment to digest Blair's words. "Okay, but what about Jim's brother? He's younger than Jim is, isn't he?" "Yeah, he is." Blair shifted, his position on the floor putting his butt to sleep. "But, Steven's reasons are harder to explain because I think it's a combination of several." Blair answered as he shifted again. He pulled his knee up and wrapped both arms around it. "I didn't talk to Steven much, but I think that a lot of the reason he stayed is because he didn't want his father and Sally to be alone. Jim's dad was pissed when he heard."   
Seeing Daryl's confusion he explained. "The deal had been for both of his sons, and Steven wasn't following the plan. He's also his father's son in a lot of ways." Blair blew out a breath. "Something else you've got to understand is Steven is alone. He had friends and girlfriends, but no one he was really close to. He isn't married and he doesn't have anybody depending on him. He'd forsaken a lot of that to get ahead in his business. Now that _the end_ was near, he really couldn't find a reason to come with us. He didn't really have any skills that would help us rebuild. Where Jim, your dad and the others have skills they can use at the Haven, and beyond, Steven doesn't. You've got to realize, a major motivating factor in his life has been to please his father. He entered business, strived to get ahead, even alienated Jim, just to please his dad."   
Blair shrugged. "I guess in the end, he figured he had nothing to look forward to so he just did what he had always done... he made the move that he thought would make his father happy." Silence reigned once again as both men, lost in thought, looked out the observation window.  
"Do you think there's any chance my mom made it?" Daryl asked in a small voice that sounded every bit the scared teenager he was. Blair sighed and once again wrapped an arm around his young friend. "Daryl, I wish I could tell you there was... but I just don't know. We couldn't reach your mom, mine, or Brown's wife. But their names and descriptions were given to people at all the launch sites. If they finally got our messages, and if they made it there..." "That's an awful lot of ifs, isn't it?" "Yeah, man, it is. But who knows. There are four other stations like this one and, although slim, there is a chance they made it onto one of them." Blair sighed. "And if they didn't, your dad is here, and he loves you. And you have me and Jim and the rest of the squad, and we'll all be here for you, man. We're going to be okay," Blair said with more assurance then he felt.  
"And you have Jim," Daryl added, sensing his friend's own need for assurances. "Yeah," Blair smiled. "And I have Jim." Blair gave Daryl a shake. "So, are you ready to head back to our quarters?" "Nah, man, not just yet. Can we just sit here and look out at the stars for a little longer? I'm not ready to be back in there yet," Daryl asked as he shifted around, trying to find a more comfortable position against the wall. "Sure, Jim knows where we are." They sat back, neither ready to go back to their quarters and the reality of the situation. It had been a rough few days, and could only get rougher yet. Each lost in thought, the hypnotic hum of the station and their emotional turmoil conspired against them, and the young men fell asleep gazing out at the stars. 

* * *

Jim Ellison made his way through the station's bustling corridors and  
back to the observation room. He had a feeling that his partner would  
still be there looking out at the stars. He hadn't meant to be gone  
as long as he had, but going over the itinerary with the chief for tomorrow's  
launch had taken a lot longer than he'd expected it to. Still he was  
glad not to be going in blind as he had been with their launch from Earth.

The Sentinel strode through the whooshing doors to the observation room and stopped. There, in the corner where the wall met the window, were his lover and his captain's son. They sat, reclined against the wall, asleep, shoulders touching and their bodies resting upon one another. Jim smiled, amazed at the years that fell away from his the face of the man he loved with his slumber. Asleep like that, his partner looked no older than Simon's teenage son. Jim crossed the room to their side and squatted in front of the two young men. Jim knew it wouldn't take long for his partner to wake, Blair had an uncanny way of knowing when someone was watching him. The thought had no sooner crossed his mind than his partner showed the first signs of waking. Jim reached a hand out and caressed Blair's face, pushing an unruly lock behind his ear, then sat back on his haunches and smiled as Blair opened his eyes, squinting at the light. One hand came up and rubbed at an eye. Jim chuckled--the gesture making his love look all of six years old. "Jim?" Blair inquired, his eyes finally staying open. The big man smiled. "Yeah, Chief, it's me. I'm sorry, I hadn't expected to be gone this long."  
"No problem, man." Blair yawned. "So how did it go with the chief? Were there any other anal retentive, control freaks present during your questioning?" he asked with a smile.  
Jim frowned. "Yes." Blair's eyes widened. "I took Simon with me." "OH, so you brought backup in case he took exception to your line of questioning," he added with a knowing smirk.  
"Very funny, Sandburg. He actually had no problem with explaining tomorrow's launch to me when I asked," Jim huffed. "He even took us on a tour of the station. That's what took me so long." Jim shrugged. "I just feel more comfortable knowing what's going to happen. I don't like to go into a situation blind. That could be part of the reason I zoned when we launched from Earth." "Yeah, I've been thinking about that." He stretched and rolled his neck, trying to work out the kinks but not wake Daryl, who was still leaned against him in sleep. Jim reached out a hand and rubbed the achy spot, and Blair shot his lover a smile in thanks. "I think we should tell the others about the Sentinel stuff." He saw Jim's jaw start to clench. 

He laid a hand on his partner's arm and gave it a squeeze, then continued, "Jim, I'm going to need the help. I just can't do this all by myself anymore. When you zoned the other day, if the others had known about your abilities, they could've watched for it too and we might have been able to stop it before you'd zoned. But more than that, we're all going to need to depend on one another to survive. I know, that's nothing we don't do every day, but this is going to be in closer quarters. We will all be together most all of the day, every day." Blair sighed. "The benefits of them knowing totally outweigh the cons. Besides, you know how hard it's been keeping it a secret from everyone up to now, when we get to the Haven it will be 100 times harder, if not impossible. You... we're going to need the extra eyes. We trusted the gang enough to tell them when we became lovers. We can trust them with this." Blair paused. He looked down into his lap and stared at his finger as it pulled at a thread on his jeans before continuing. "We need to be realistic, Jim. When we get to the moon, we'll each be put in the area where we can do the most good for the Hope's Haven. The chances of the best place for you and the best place for me being the same place..." 

He gave Jim's arm another squeeze "Let's just say it's not very likely. But there is a good chance that you, Simon, Joel and the others will work together. If something happens, there needs to be someone else who will know what to do, or at least know enough to get in touch with me. It wasn't a problem before, we only had to tell Simon and we could obfuscate our way around anyone else. But now..." The young man looked up and into his partner's eyes. "Things have changed, man, and will continue to change. We can't safely keep this to ourselves any more." 

They stared at each other for a few long minutes, then the older man looked away and out the window. He shook his head. So many changes... He sighed and turned back to his partner. 

"Yeah, Chief, you're right, we need to tell the others. It's just not worth using energy we might not have to try and keep it a secret from them any longer." 

Blair moved his hand to Jim's knee. "It can only help us in the long run, Big Guy." 

Jim nodded and brought his head down so his forehead rested upon his lover's. He tenderly gripped the younger man's neck and sighed. "I know, but that doesn't make it any easier." 

"Yeah," Blair agreed, "but they're family." 

Jim smiled and gave Blair a quick kiss. "Yeah, they are. We'll talk to them tomorrow before the launch, okay." 

A loud groan made both men jump. 

"I wish you two would talk a little quieter now, I was having the most rad dream." Daryl groaned again and stretched his arms above his head. "Man, the babe was unbelievable, she was just about to..." 

The doors to the observation room swished open and Simon Banks stomped through, an unlit cigar clenched between his teeth. 

"I would like to thank you, Ellison," the big man growled. "First you drag me on your little tour of the station, then you leave me high and dry listening to that little man prattle on about the wonders of 'his' station." He sighed. "I swear, he was still going on as I snuck out of the room. I'm not even sure he realized I'd left." 

"Oh, come on, Simon," Jim chuckled, "the chief wasn't that bad." 

"GO ahead and laugh," the bigger man groused, "not all of us can turn our hearing off and on at will. I know you..." Simon's eyes widened as they fell to Daryl's still groggy form on the floor. "Jim, I'm sorry, I..."   
"It's okay, Simon," Jim assured his friend, "we've decided to tell everyone in the morning. It won't be just the four of us knowing anymore. You, Blair, and Megan will have some backup." 

Jim climbed to his feet and then reached down and pulled Blair up alongside him and then reached down and hauled Daryl up as well. 

Blair stretched and eased the kinks out. "Yeah, Simon, we realized that we're going to be facing too many unknowns. We really can't afford to have secrets between us." 

The captain nodded. 

"I agree with that. I was wondering just how we were going to explain things anyway." Simon huffed a quick breath. "That zone the other day will have them all wondering. They might have believed it was shock from everything that had happened then, but getting them to buy that a second time... You're talking about former detectives. That would just be wishful thinking." 

Daryl yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Would one of you please tell me what you're all talking about?" 

Simon walked over to his son and wrapped one arm around his neck in a headlock. "Nope, we're not going to go through this twice, so you'll just have to wait til tomorrow morning. You'll find out when everyone else does." 

"Awww, Dad. Man, let me go," the teen whined as he struggled to escape his father's clutches. "Blair said the sunrise was cool. It should be setting now and I want to see it." 

Jim wrapped his arms around his lover from behind. "Cool, Chief?" he asked with a smile. 

Blair jabbed the bigger man in the stomach with an elbow. "If I remember correctly, my exact words were 'sunrise was incredible', and I want to see the sun set too. " 

The captain released his son and the four friends turned and looked out the window as the sun began to set on the earth. For several long minutes no one spoke, each caught up in the beauty before them. 

"Wow," Daryl whispered reverently, breaking the silence. "That's totally awesome." 

Blair freed a hand from Jim's embrace and laid it on the teenager's shoulder. "I bet that's something you never imagined you'd see in your lifetime, huh, man?" 

"Yeah," he agreed. "I wish my mom could see it," he added quietly, the desolation in the words ringing through the room. 

Simon pulled his son in close for a hug. "So do I, son. So do I." 

The Sentinel and Guide moved a few steps away to give them a little privacy. 

"Ten years, Chief." Jim sighed and rested his chin upon the younger man's shoulder as he looked out at what remained of his planet. "It will be at least ten years before we can come back." "Yeah, man, and that's with good conditions." Blair leaned back into the other man's welcome embrace. "But we made it, Jim, and most of the people we care about made it too." He tilted his head to the side so he could look the taller man in the eye. "We're alive, man, and most of the people we care about... consider family, are with us." He paused and looked out at the earth before continuing. "Where there is life, there is hope, Big Guy. In ten years or so we'll be back to start over. Think about it, man, we're going to help remake the world. How many people can say they've done that?"  
Simon and Daryl rejoined them, leaning heavily against one another. Blair glanced at them, then back at his Sentinel. "We're alive and together and we will have a hand in starting fresh. That's a blessing, and I can't wait to get started." Jim looked up and met Simon's eyes over his lover's head. The captain nodded and said, "Together."  
The four men turned back and watched the sun set behind the Earth. Jim looked down at his lover and then turned his wrist and glanced at his watch. He smiled and then yawned loudly. Simon look up from the sound and smirked at the calculating look in his detective's eyes. Jim gave Simon a wink and then yawned again, a little louder this time. He let go of Blair with one arm and reached over his head in a stretch, popping a couple of kinks out of his neck. Blair looked up at the movement. 

"Hey, man, you okay?" Blair asked, concern lighting his eyes. 

Jim nodded. "Yeah, Chief, I'm fine. I just think the last couple of days are finally catching up with me. " He answered as another 'yawn' split his face.   
The younger man smiled. "What, do you mean to tell me that the indestructible James Ellison is tired? Hmmm, are you losing your stamina in your old age?"   
The older man chuckled. "Yeah, smart ass, I'll show you stamina. It's been a long couple of weeks." Jim allowed another yawn to escape, just for good measure. 

Blair turned and brought both arms around his partner. "Hey, Big Guy, what do you say we turn in a little early tonight. The next few days are going to be crazy, and it wouldn't hurt for us to get a little extra sleep in the bag."   
Jim smiled, "Yeah, Chief, I think that would be a good idea. There's no telling when we'll get another chance to sleep in." Jim turned from the window and moved to leave the room, bringing the arm that rested on Blair's shoulder down to wrap around his waist. Blair mimicked the gesture and the partner's started to leave the room, their arms encircling one another at the waist. As they reached the door, Blair turned back to their captain. 

"Hey, Simon, are you and Daryl coming?" The observer asked innocently. 

Simon turned and had to smile at the barely veiled horror in Jim's eyes. 

"No, Sandburg," he assured both men. "My son and I are going to spend some quality time together while we have the chance. You two go ahead, we'll be by in a couple of hours." Simon inclined his head and Jim smiled in thanks.   
"Okay, Simon, see you later." The lovers turned and walked through the doors.   
Daryl waited until he heard the swish of the closing doors before he asked, "Did they think they were fooling anyone with that, dad?" 

The captain chuckled. "That, my boy, was Ellison's lame attempt at making a graceful exit." Father and son laughed out loud, then turned to watch the end of the sunset. 

* * *

The two men were barely through the doors to their cabin before Jim pushed Blair against the wall and captured his mouth in a kiss. The younger man paused for a moment before opening his mouth to Jim's questing tongue. The kiss continued until both had to break apart to breathe. 

"Um," Blair gasped, "What is it with you and throwing me against walls, Big Guy? Just felt you _had_ to christen this one too?" Blair asked with a smile.   
Jim nodded, "I figured you'd like that better then being carried over the threshold, Chief." The bigger man chuckled, "I was hoping Simon would catch the hints and let us have a little time to ourselves. Well, enough time for some hot monkey sex, anyway." Jim wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him close. "We haven't had more than a minute to ourselves in almost a week."   
Blair reached up with a hand and caressed the side of his lover's face. "Yeah, man, I know." He sighed and laid his head against Jim's chest. "I just hope we can find some time to ourselves once we get to Haven." Blair turned his head and began to nuzzle the other man's neck. "Hmmm, I remember someone mentioning 'hot monkey sex'." He smiled. "Do you think you've got the stamina for that, big guy?" he asked innocently as he continued to explore Jim's neck. Jim growled and, tightening his arms around his lover's waist, lifted the young man off the floor and carried him over to one of the lower bunks against the wall. "I'll show you stamina," was all he said as he put Blair down and began to divest him of his clothes. Not wanting Jim to have all the fun, Blair set about quickly peeling the other man out of his shirt and pants. Soon both men were down to only their boxers and, wrapped around one another, they fell onto the bunk. They kissed and wrestled a bit, then Jim rolled and ended up atop Blair. He planted his knees aside Blair's legs trapping them and gripped his lover's head firmly as he swooped down and captured the willing mouth in a kiss. 

Jim broke the kiss. "How's that for stamina, Chief?" He smiled and bent down to nuzzle Blair's neck. 

"Oh, not to bad," the younger man admitted, his chest heaving. "But what are you going to do for an encore?" 

Jim smiled and moved his hands slowly down the front of his lover's body. "I don't know. I'm sure I can think of something," he said evilly. His fingers tweaked a hard nipple and drew a moan from Blair's throat. Jim laughed and replaced his fingers with his lips and continued to torment the nipple.   
"What do you say, Chief," he whispered against his lover's chest. "Should I move the proceedings southward?" The older man asked as he slipped his hand inside Blair's boxers and grasped the younger man's erection. The resulting surge of his lover's hips almost tossed Jim onto the floor. 

"Jim," he gasped. "If you keep that up, I'll get to the finish line before you even get out of the gate." Blair raised one shaking hand and tugged on Jim's underwear. "Come on, man, take them off." 

Jim laughed and, planting a quick kiss on Blair's lips, moved off the bunk. He stood and pulled off his boxers in one fluid motion, before repeating the move on Blair. Underwear on the floor, Jim crawled back onto the bunk. Almost atop Blair again, he stopped and turned. 

"Come on, big guy," Blair called out as his lover walked towards the door. "Don't leave me hanging." 

Jim chuckled as he fiddled with something on the wall, then returned to the bunk. He climbed back into the bunk and showed Blair his prize. "We needed lube, Chief. The salve from the medkit should work nicely." Jim explained as he screwed the cap off and began to coat his fingers. 

The younger man laughed, "My lover, the Boy Scout." 

Jim leaned over and stole a final kiss before concentrating on the lover half of his lover's body. 

Making love to Blair was a sensual adventure Jim was happy to focus all his senses on. The feel of his lover's skin, the sound of his moans, the smell of his arousal, the expressions on his face... all the sensations combined to make sex with his Guide gratifying for the Sentinel. He concentrated only on his lover and their combined pleasure as he began to insert his fingers into Blair. Jim placed gentle kisses on the underside of Blair's cock as he gained entrance to his lover's body. Blair's body relaxed and accepted the intruder, then tensed up suddenly. Surprised by the uncommon resistance, Jim painted his lover's groin with kisses and waited for the muscles to relax again. He continued to prepare his partner, delighting in the feel of the body under him. Jim relaxed and licked at the top of his lover's thigh where it met the rest of his body. He stopped and grew concerned as the beloved body tensed again. Dragging his attention from his lover's groin, Jim refocused on Blair's face and the tell-tale frown between his eyes. 

Jim crawled up his lover's body. "Chief, what's wrong?" He asked, concern coloring his voice as he wrapped his arms around the younger man. Barely a second later he had his answer as a voice came over the loud speaker and Blair tensed once again. Jim shifted onto his side and dragged Blair with him so that he was spooned behind his lover. He fit his chin atop the smaller man's head and rubbed soothing circles into Blair's stomach. 

"It's finally catching up with you, isn't it, love?" He asked quietly. The curly head beneath his chin nodded and Blair sighed. 

"Yeah, it's just so... much. I've kept the worries, the doubts at bay all day. But now, when it's quiet and just the two of us it..." he shrugged. "It just ambushed me, you know." The young man sighed again. "I'm sorry, I want to make love to you. I want you to make love to _me_ , but..." 

"But every time a voice comes out of that loud speaker it brings home exactly where you are, and everything that's happened." Jim finished knowingly.   
"Yeah, man, and it so totally kills the mood." Blair shifted a little and wrapped his arms around Jim's. "I'm sorry, I don't know when we'll be free to be together like this again, but I don't think..." 

"Shh, Chief, it's okay," Jim promised. He hugged Blair a little tighter. "I'm happy just like this, Blair. I don't need to be 'in' you, I just need to be 'with' you." He nuzzled the younger man's hair and pressed a tender kiss upon his neck. "Just go to sleep, Chief. We have a big day tomorrow."   
Blair nodded. "Will you stay here?" He squeezed Jim's arms. "I just want to feel you around me, big guy. I know it will be a bit of a shock for..."   
"No one will be shocked to see us together, Chief," Jim interrupted. "Simon knows full well what we came back here to do, and I'm sure finding the two of us wrapped around each other won't scar Daryl for life." 

Blair chuckled. "No, I don't think so. Last time he was over he asked me who we thought we were fooling with the act. He said he's down with it." Blair added with a yawn as he snuggled into his Sentinel's embrace and went to sleep.   
"Good, because I don't want to move." Jim said with a smile. The words were barely out of his mouth as he followed his partner in slumber. 

The Sentinel and Guide slept secure in their love for one another, bolstered by the support of their friends and ready to begin the journey into tomorrow. 


End file.
